NORTH BERGEN – The man accused of driving a car that struck two brothers in North Bergen last month and then allegedly fleeing the scene of the accident was arrested in Maryland – less than an hour before one of the victims of the accident died in the hospital.
A 38-year-old native of Guatemala was arrested on Thursday night in Annapolis, Md., where, according to press accounts, he was found hiding under a bed in the home of a cousin.
The car jumped the curb and struck Michael Viruet, 20, and his brother Adrian, 11, at the about 9:50 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14 on Kennedy Boulevard between 31st and 32nd Streets. The brothers were heading home after seeing a film at the Columbia Park movie theater in North Bergen with their sister Mileen, 15, and a friend, who narrowly escaped being hit.
The brothers were taken to area hospitals, where each underwent surgery. Michael’s leg had to be amputated as a result of his injuries, after which his condition deteriorated. He was placed in a medically induced coma and died at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4.
Police have been searching for the driver since last month, when a damaged red Nissan Rogue was found under a tarp in West New York. Officials say the car belonged to the man’s employer, who claimed to have no knowledge of the crash.
At one point the suspect purchased plane tickets to Guatemala but did not get on the flight. He does not have a driver’s license, has no criminal record or social security number on record, and his fingerprints are not on file, making it difficult to track him.
He is being charged with death by auto, leaving the scene of an accident involving critical injury, and aggravated assault by auto. He is in custody in Maryland on $500,000 cash bail, pending transportation to New Jersey Friday night. He is expected to appear in state Superior Court next week.
Our Digital Archive from 2000 – 2016
